Page 4 of The Single Dad

“Oh, they emailed me!” I gasp. “I have an email from them! This is not a drill!” Nerves flutter in my stomach as my cursor hovers over the email.

“Good news? Bad news?” Noah sounds almost as excited as I am.

“I don’t know yet. I’m too nervous to open it.”

“Open it!” he insists. “Read it out loud!”

Steeling myself, I click on the message and clear my throat.

“Dear Ms. Winters,” I begin. “We appreciate you taking the time to interview for this position. Unfortunately, it has been filled by a more experienced candidate.”

I swallow, hesitating, the bitter sting of disappointment in my throat.

“We’ll keep you in mind for any future openings with our organization,” I finish, my voice dull and flat, all of the excitement gone. “Thank you.”

Noah is quiet for a moment. Then he says, “Do you want me to go over there and beat them up or something?”

I laugh feebly, but even Noah’s good-natured jokes can’t cheer me up. I’m crushed.

And he knows it, of course—he knows me better than anyone. Even though we’re not related, we’re practically siblings, and Noah has long since learned to recognize my forced laughter.

“It will happen,” he reassures me. “I know it’ll happen. You’re going to land the perfect job, and this is all going to seem like the blur before things fell into place. You’re gonna forget all about that restaurant. I promise.”

I smile hollowly, closing my laptop, my chest aching with regret. “Thanks,” I say, feeling a bit better. Still crushed, though. Still disappointed. Still going to drown my feelings with cheap takeout and ice cream later. “I know social work isn’t all that glamorous, but… I was excited about that one.”

“I know,” Noah says gently.

“It’s what I really want to do. It’s my dream.”

“I totally get it, Riley. You want to give back. You want to help other kids in rough situations. It’s a noble goal.” He pauses, then asks, “Hey, have you heard from your mom at all recently?”

I let out a breath. “No. Thank god.” If my mom had tried to get in touch, things would be way worse right now. But it’s been radio silence from her for a while. I can only hope it stays that way. More chaos is the last thing I need in my life.

Noah’s attempt to change the subject falls flat, since I don’t exactly want to talk more about my mother. She only appears in my life when she wants something from me, and I’m not one to entertain a transactional relationship.

He seems to take the hint. There’s sympathy in his voice as he says, “I hear you, Riley.”

I nod, even though he can’t see me. If anyone understands how I’m feeling right now, it’s Noah. But after the fresh wound of getting turned down for the job, I’m not in the mood to talk about my mom.

“Hey, listen,” he says, in another attempt to change the subject, “why don’t you come over to my new place on Sunday? I was planning to take the day off, so I’ll have some time to show you around. Give you the grand tour.”

“You?” I gasp teasingly, clutching my pearls. “Take a day off? Since when?”

“Riley—”

“I’m serious. I don’t think you’ve had a day off in, like, eight years. Or more.”

Noah sighs into the speaker, and I grin. My foster brother is what one might call a workaholic. Usually, when he has time to meet me, it’s for coffee or lunch breaks amidst the long hours he spends in the office.

“You coming, or what?” he asks.

“Sure,” I say. That’ll give me something to look forward to, at least. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been anticipating the post-interview email, so I do need something else to get me out of bed. “That sounds great.”

“Sweet,” says Noah. “I can’t wait to see you!”

“Same here.”

“Oh, shit—I gotta go, Riley,” Noah says apologetically. I can hear a beeping sound on the other end of the line. “I’ve got another call coming in.”

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